Parks of the World

Silesia Park (Park Śląski) in Chorzów, Poland was created in the 1950s as an initiative to restore an industrially devastated piece of land in the middle of three cities — Siemianowice Śląskie, Chorzów and Katowice.

It is spread over an area of 620 hectares, making it one of the biggest parks in Europe, with forested areas covering 250 hectares and 100 hectares of tended green space and parklands.

Park Śląski includes ponds, streams, numerous species of trees and shrubs as well as extensive gardens forming a refuge for wild animals living in the area in the vicinity of the Silesian Zoological Gardens, which include a walk with full-scale model dinosaurs. The park has diverse attractions, including an amusement park, a water park, a rose garden, an outdoor ethnographic park, planetarium, high ropes course, sports courts and cycling paths.

The Silesian Ethnographic Park was opened in 1975 and is set on 20-hectares of Silesia Park ground. This open-air rural architecture museum is made up of mostly 19th and 20th century cottages and other wooden constructions transferred from Silesian and highland villages.

The museum is also known as a historic research centre and offers various educational programs. The rural school building hosts lessons and the interiors of many other buildings hold thematic exhibitions of tools, accessories, home fittings and furniture dating from the past two centuries.